Entry 37: Personal Favorite - Antivan Coffee Bars (I guess) + Dragon Age Day, December 4 2020

Hello, readers - it has been a few months. Most of a year, really. Things have been up and down all round. Wherever you are reading this, I hope you are coping the best you can for you, your family, and friends. Plague events like the COVID-19 pandemic are rare and profound. However you are coping, I also hope it includes some Dragon Age.

Today is Dragon Age Day! A fan-made annual online event celebrating all things Dragon Age! And it is because of this heart-melting and action-packed day, I am celebrating with a new recipe and blog entry. A few weeks ago, I asked Foods of Thedas twitter followers to decide what kind of Dragon Age Day recipe I should make to celebrate: A veganized recipe from the World of Thedas Vol. II cookbook or an original, Thedosian-inspired recipe. Original recipe won by a landslide. Thank you, followers! I am excited to share with you: Antivan Coffee Bars.

Yes, bars. Yes, your kitchen mage's spell went a bit array and in typical scamble-Skyhold fashion, your cook made due. It's 2020, life may not always offer you a proper cake, but we can have bars.

This bar recipe is quick and easy to make if you have a hand mixer or standing mixer. If you do not, crack those knuckles, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to experience a Champion Hawke-level arm workout because the most essential part of this process is creaming the vegan butter and sugar. It is the longest step and is what makes these thick and tasty coffee bars so delicious. 

Before beginning the recipe though, I want to thank you for reading and for being a Dragon Age fan. Dragon Age Day is what it is because of the fans who love the franchise. Throughout this year, Dragon Age and the fan community have pulled me through. I may not be able to play Dragon Age everyday, but thanks to this large and varied community, I can have a Dragon Age moment everyday. Thank you for being here and thank you for being a part of this amazing fan community. 

Dragon Age Day organizers have put together an excited lineup of live streams and Q&A's for the day. And there is a fundraiser with plenty of one-of-a-kind rewards to select! All donations for items will benefit the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Visit the Dragon Age Day website for all the exciting details and more fun!

Now, to the Skyhold kitchen! 

To begin, I like to assemble my ingredients on the counter: flour, salt, baking powder, vegan butter, sugar, ground flax seed, cashew milk, vanilla extract, an orange, and ground cinnamon. 

Then I make a flax seed egg. 2 Tablespoons of ground flax seed and 1/4 cup of warm water gently stirred together and set aside for 10 minutes does the trick. If you do not have access to whole or ground flax seed, there is a substitution note in the recipe notes below. Recipe in full can be found there too. 

Cream the sugar and vegan butter while the flax seed is gelling. Then sift dry ingredients together. And then zest the orange. Maybe even load up that Dragon Age: Legends game Ghil Dirthalen featured recently. Peruse the Dragon Age Day Tiltify rewards. You get the gist: cream the Void out of that butter and sugar. When the sugar and butter have come together and look fluffy, add the flax seed egg and milk. 

This concoction won't look pretty and you may get the feeling you've done something wrong. That's normal for the recipe. Stir wet ingredients together on a medium speed, occasionally scrapping down the sides and mixing them together by hand.

Once wet ingredients are sort of combined, add the vanilla and orange zest. Mix for 1-2 more minutes on a medium speed. Then add the dry ingredients in 3 parts.

From here, the steps are fast and easy. Add bar batter to a greased 9 by 9 inch pan and set it aside to spread while you wash out your bowl and prepare to mix the streusel. The streusel comes together very quickly, again by mixer, not as much by hand (good luck, you got this like Hawke's got class). 

Sprinkle the streusel over the batter. If you want to top with nuts, like chopped almonds or crushed walnuts, this is the place to do that. 

Then place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool per instructions below and enjoy like a Crow on a mission. These dense and delicious bars are great for a quick bite on the go (if you have to go places - which if you do, stay safe and take care) or for an afternoon cozy coffee break at home. I hope you give this recipe a try! 

Antivan Coffee Bars

Prep time: 45 minutes
Bake time: 25 minutes
Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients: 

Cake:

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder*
1/4 cup vegan butter**
1/2 cup sugar***
1 flax seed egg - 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed + 1/4 cup warm water+
a scant 2/3 cup cashew or soy milk
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

Streusel:

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons vegan butter**
5 Tablespoons sugar***
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
(Optional: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or almonds)

Instructions: 
Combine flax seed and warm water, stir gently and set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375℉. Spread shortening to coat a 9 x 9 inch pan or fold parchment paper to fit a 9 x 9 inch pan.

Cream butter until soft. While butter is creaming, sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Gradually add sugar until combined and fluffy-like. Beat flax seed egg into creamed sugar, then add milk. Once wet ingredients are combined, gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts until just combined. Using a silicon or rubber spatula, scrap down the sides and check to make sure all ingredients are combined. Stir in any un-mixed ingredients swiftly. Spread batter into prepared pan. 

To make the the streusel, mix together flour, butter, and sugar, then add cinnamon. Sprinkle streusel on top of the batter. (Sprinkle nuts on top.) 

Bake in prepared oven for 25 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness: insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Test in 1 to 2 places. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire for 10 minutes. Carefully slice into bars, plate, and serve! Best served with coffee.

Store in an airtight contain. If you plan to devour this delicious bars within a day, you can leave it on the counter. If you are saving it for a few days, store in your refrigerator. Enjoy within 5 days. To reheat, place on a microwave-save plate and microwave for 10 to 15 second. 

If you need a recipe for delicious, homebrewed coffee, I have you covered.

Recipe notes: 
*The fresher the baking powder, the better: combine 1 part sodium bicarbonate ( a.k.a.: baking soda) + 2 parts cream of tartar to make fresh baking powder. Make fresh baking powder before you make the flax seed egg.
**If you have access to a variety of vegan butters, I recommend Earth Balance, it is the butterest of vegan butters
***Okay, I did not know this when I went vegan and started this blog two years ago, but apparently in the United States, where I live, basic white sugar is not vegan; it is treated with bone char. It's a bummer. However, USDA Organic grade sugar is not treated with bone char and is vegan. Organic sugar is out of my price range at present but if you have access to it and can afford it, I highly recommend going the extra mile and getting it.
+If you don't have access to flax seeds, you can use a scant 1/4 cup of aquafaba (chickpea brine) from a can of chickpeas.

Walk always in the Maker's light. Wash hands, wear a mask, stay home and play Dragon Age.

END NOTES: Truth be told, I wish I could say I have been playing lots of Dragon Age while my area  has been in and out of various levels of lockdown, but my life is about as busy. I have been cooking and baking (and cleaning) a lot more than gaming. I'm occasionally on social media (more so nowadays thanks to Dragon Age Day!); you can find me Instagram @foodsofthedas and on Twitter @FoodsofThedas. And though I don't have any new entries planned, there are many old ones to read! 

Thanks again for reading. Happy Dragon Age Day! Bare your blade and raise it high! And please check out the Dragon Age Day site for more fun.

Foods of Thedas, formerly Gourmet Vegan Thedas.

Entry 36: Foods of Thedas - Peasant Bread (The Masked Empire recipe)

Image Description: A cast iron pan filled with freshly baked whole wheat biscuits.

This entry fulfills a request made long ago by Ghil Dirthalen for Peasant Bread. Peasant Bread is described in The Masked Empire as a hearty bread eaten by elves, both Dalish and from alienages in Orlais.

For some context (without spoilers), the character's perspective is that of Michel de Chevin as he wanders through a Dalish camp: 

"The cooks prepared the midday meal, a stew of wild rabbit mixed with vegetables and spices, served alongside with what Michel recognized from thirty yards away as peasant bread. It was almost equal parts wheat, salt, and grease, and in lean winters, it was sometimes the only thing that could put meat on a peasant's bones."

To me that sounds a lot like biscuits.

Image Description: A small plate on a placemat with two whole wheat biscuits, one whole and one split in half. One half sits on top of the other.

Basic biscuits are quick, easy, and do not call for a lot of ingredients or kitchen tricks and pro-tips. And I can totally see why Thedas' elves make it. I had to take some liberties with creating a recipe though, as The Masked Empire does not provide anything beyond the above quoted text. So this recipe is a Skyhold's Kitchen original from yours truly! And this recipe is a deviation from my norm in that I did not use any magic kitchen tools outside of my oven. I have three blenders, two mixers, two ovens, two microwaves, a griddle, and an Instant Pot. And that's just the start of my whole kitchen tool inventory. For this recipe, I used far fewer tools and am happier for it. 

For this recipe, you need all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, shortening, cashew or soy milk, and apple cider vinegar. For the full recipe and instructions, see below.

Image Description: An arrangement of the above listed ingredients (I chose cashew milk).

First, add the apple cider vinegar to the non-dairy milk. Then sift dry ingredients together.

Image Description: A bowl of crumbly dry ingredients and shortening tilted over a counter for better light.

After sifting the dry ingredients together, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. 

Image Description: A close up of soured cashew milk in a measuring glass over the bowl of crumbly dry ingredients.

Pour in the soured milk and mix together with your hands. Yes, this recipe is a messy one. I refused to use any of my half dozen wooden spoons, opting to go as basic as possible and just use my Maker-given hands. 

Image Description: A sticky mound of biscuit dough in a metal bowl.

Grease a spoon with shortening. Spoon and drop dough sloppily into a cast iron pan. 

Image Description: Seven pre-baked biscuits in a cast iron pan.

And bake in a 400℉ oven for 10-12 minutes. And done. Peasant Bread! It's that easy and it makes a lot of biscuits. 

Image Description: Seven post-baked biscuits in a cast iron pan with a R2-D2 oven mitt in the lower left corner.

They are so fluffy and delicious! 

Image Description: A fluffy Peasant Bread biscuit on a white tea towel. 

Add vegan butter, jam, or vegan gravy to make even more delicious!

Image Description: A split biscuit on a white plate, both halves are slathered in vegan butter and blueberry jam.

And that's it. Peasant bread. And now, this blog is on hiatus. This is the last recipe for the foreseeable future. I may make something special for Dragon Age Day 2020, I certainly don't want to rule out picking up the blog up when the next Dragon Age game is released, and I may even one day make that full Dalish lunch described above (but vegan), but I need to set this hobby aside for now. This has been a fun place, this blog of my imaginary Skyhold kitchen mage's recipes blurred with real life, and I'm grateful for your support! I hope you make and enjoy this recipe.

Peasant Bread

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Yields: 18-20 biscuits

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup cashew or soy milk + 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400℉. Add apple cider vinegar to non-dairy milk and set aside for 10 minutes. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Then whisk in whole wheat flour. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until mixture has a fine-crumb consistency. Add non-dairy soured milk and mix together until ingredients are combined and dough is sticky. Spoon and drop dough into a cast iron pan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until bottom edged are slightly brown. Biscuits can stay in pan after baking. Biscuits will remain fresh for 1 day uncovered, 2-3 covered. Enjoy promptly with vegan butter, jam, maple syrup, or a vegan gravy!

Dareth shiral and walk always in the Maker's light.

END NOTES: Thank you for reading! And special thanks to Ghil Dirthalen for the suggestion - I'm sorry I took so long to get this out for you. Ma serannas. Please check out Ghil Dirthalen's YouTube channel if you love Dragon Age video game lore, media tie-in reviews, and pure silliness. For more information on why Foods of Thedas is on hiatus, please see my January blog entry (Sera's Oatmeal Cookies Upgraded). I will remain active on social media under the Foods of Thedas handle on Instagram and Twitter but with less frequency. Thank you again for reading and being a part of this odd mix of vegan recipes and Dragon Age.


Sarah Marie (Essem),
Foods of Thedas, formerly Gourmet Vegan Thedas.

_

Source:
The Masked Empire, by Patrick Weekes, https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/30-847/Dragon-Age-The-Masked-Empire-Deluxe-Edition-HC
_

Entry 35: Personal Favorite - Sera's Oatmeal Cookies Upgraded

Image Description: Eight freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Last January I shared a delicious Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe and while I still think it was a good recipe, it was admittedly lacking. So I took some time to improve and perfect it. And I am very please to present the results of my hard work! Behold: A Better Oatmeal Cookie Recipe!

What improvements were made? Chemistry is the short answer. Basically, I upped the baking powder, creamed the vegan butter and sugars for longer, adjusted my flax seed egg recipe, and firmed up the cook time and cool time details. I also used fresh brown sugar which I think makes a considerable difference in baking but I don't think it is a required step to achieve oatmeal raisin cookie perfection. I'm very proud that a few tweaks greatly improved this cookie recipe to such a state that I dare say even Sera would steal and gobble them up without a second thought.

For the full recipe and directions, scroll to the bottom.

First as in all recipes I make, I set out my ingredients. These haven't changed much. Whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, white sugar, fresh brown sugar (see below for steps), salt, baking soda, baking powder (that's homemade, too - see below for steps), vegan butter, flax seed egg (see below for steps), vanilla extract, raisins, oats, and coconut shreds.

Image Description: A gathering of the ingredients above, minus the sugars, arranged on a day-lit white counter top. 

Then I mixed my flax seed egg. It's a very easy thing to put together. Just add 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed to a small bowl, add a quarter cup of lukewarm water, and stir gently.

Image Description: A ground flax seed egg in a small, white ingredient bowl flanked by partially shown bowls of raisins (left) and
coconut shreds (right).

For the baking powder, I have taken to making my own rather buying a new container every time I run out. It's another easy thing to mix up that saves some coin and resources. All that is needed to make baking powder is cream of tartar and baking soda. Gently stir one part baking soda and two parks cream of tartar until well combined. Make more than you need and store the rest in the old baking powder container you probably finished off (at least that's what how this all worked out for me). Then I measured and mixed my homemade baking powder in with my dry ingredients as normal.

Image Description: A small container of Cream of Tartar in front of an open jar of baking soda.

And for the brown sugar, your kitchen mage stuck with her new norm and made that homemade too! Brown sugar is super easy to make and if you follow my Instagram kitchen tips stories, you may already know this easy kitchen spell. Cut one tablespoon molasses with one cup white sugar together with a pastry cutter. Just as with the baking powder, it's handy to make more than you need and store the rest in an airtight container for future use.

Image Description: A 2-image collage; on the left, a bag of sugar, a jar of molasses and a small white bowl holding a black-handled
pastry cutter; on the right, a close-up of the white bowl with freshly cut brown sugar.

With all that prep work done, mixing the dough together is easy!

Image Description: A close-up image of freshly mixed oatmeal raisin cookie dough.

As for baking, allowing cookies to cool on the pan and then on a cooling rack is as important as the time in the oven. Don't rush your cookies. Perfection takes careful time management and everyone loves a perfect cookie. I allowed my cookies to cool 5 minutes on the pan and then a minimum 10 minutes on my cooling rack before taste testing.

Image Description: A close-up of a freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookie resting on a parchment paper lined baking pan.

And there we have it, the perfect oatmeal raisin cookies to enjoy!

Image Description: A cooling rack filled with oatmeal raisin cookies.

Image Description: A close-up image of an oatmeal raisin cookie broken in half,showing off its delicious
raisiny-coconutty-oatness.

I hope you give this improved cookie recipe a try! And please share on social media if you do, use the hashtag (#)FoodsofThedas!



Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Yields: 24 cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegan butter, slightly soft
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 flax seed egg - 2 tablespoons ground flax seed + 1/4 cup lukewarm water set for 10-15 minutes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 baking powder
1 cup uncooked rolled oats
A mounding 1/2 cup raisins
A mounding 1/2 cup coconut flakes or shreds


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make flax seed egg and set aside. Cream butter and sugars for 10 minutes. While butter and sugars are creaming, combine flours, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in another bowl and set aside. Add vanilla extract and flax seed egg to creamed sugars and mix until well combined. In three parts, add flour mixture and beat until well combined. Fold in oats, raisins, and coconut flakes or shreds.

Using a spoon or ice cream scooper, drop cookies about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pan from oven once cookies are slightly golden brown. Allow to sit on the pan for 5 minutes, then remove cookies to a cooling rack for 5 to 10 minutes before devouring. Allow cookies to cool to room temperature before storing.

To store, seal in an airtight container. Cookies will remain fresh for 10 to 12 days. But let's face it, they will be long gone before then.

Walk always in the Maker's light.

END NOTES: This entry is bittersweet for me as it comes amidst great changes in my life. Baking and eating cookies was certainly a highlight of my month, but January has otherwise been very challenging for me; or really winter as a whole has for many reasons. And as a result, I took a step back and worked to refocus the scope of my goals, my wants, and my needs. Sometimes we need to take big steps back to see who we are and who we want to be before we can move forward. But I feel confident I can move forward with integrity to myself and those I care about. However, that means I need to make significant changes in my life to adapt and maintain my focus and perspective.

I have talked openly about my disabilities on a few social media platforms. I have Multiple Sclerosis and it has had a gradual but impactful effect on my life on a myriad of levels. And thus I have come to realize I am spreading myself too thin trying to keep up with everything; from family and my career, to my physical and mental well-being, to my hobbies and social commitments. I have realized that to have more out of life, to be more of the person I want to be, I have to do less.

With all that said, I am sorry to say, dear reader, this is the second to last blog entry for Foods of Thedas. I will share one more Thedosian recipe next month (hopefully on time) and then put the blog aside indefinitely. It is possible I will return once the next Dragon Age game is formally announced or released, but I cannot say for certain at this time.

I am grateful to you, reader, for your interest and support. And I will remain active on social media under the Foods of Thedas handle on Instagram and Twitter but with less frequency. Thank you for reading and being a part of this odd mix of delicious, vegan food and Dragon Age.



Like what you are reading? Great! Come back for a new entry on the third Thursday of each month (mostly - last entry coming February 2020). And have a look at my previous entries for other recipes, and Dragon Age-related trivia and oddities!

Have any friendly suggestions or cool ideas? Want me to veganize your favorite recipe? Please comment below. You can also email me at foodsofthedas@gmail.com, message me at AGSamuels on Reddit, or tweet me at @FoodsofThedas on Twitter. You can also follow me on Instagram, @foodsofthedas.


Foods of Thedas, formerly Gourmet Vegan Thedas.